Girls basketball: Park upends Ponies

Published December 19, 2012 at 5:49 pm

Gazette photos by Stuart GroskreutzStillwater’s Paige Becker is fouled in the act of shooting during the second half of Tuesday’s Suburban East Conference girls’ basketball loss to Park at Stillwater Area High School.

OAK PARK HEIGHTS — Limiting Stillwater to just five field goals in the entire game, Park pulled away for a 38-17 Suburban East Conference girls’ basketball victory on Tuesday at Stillwater Area High School. Stillwater’s Kalley Friederichs drives around a Wolfpack defender during Tuesday’s game at SAHS.

Turnovers plagued the Ponies (0-3 SEC, 2-5) throughout the game and they were held without a field goal in the second half until Sam Houle’s 3-pointer with less than four minutes remaining.

“Park was just more physical,” Ponies coach Gerard Coury said. “They were more aggressive and they wouldn’t allow us to run anything. We had some bad turnovers, but they are physical and also turned us over. Even when we did have some opportunities to score, we didn’t take advantage.”

Paige Becker led Stillwater with seven points.

The Wolfpack (2-1, 6-2) received a game-high 13 points from Larissa Lurken — a Kent State basketball recruit — and Temi Ogunrinde chipped in with nine. Park outscored the Ponies 11-6 at the free throw line.

“They’ve done well and they’ve had a good run,” Coury said of Park. “(Coach Stephanie Tolkinen) played a bunch of young kids about four years ago and those young kids have a lot experience. That program has gotten better and they were able to handle the ball better and just moved us around. We got displaced and you can’t run anything if you’re always on your heels.”